Machine for treating fabric



Aug. 11, 1936. E M H 5 AL 2,050,977

MACHINE FOR TREATING FABRIC Original Filed 0613.. 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l 0 00000 o mo ooooooo & oooooooooooo ooooooooooooo N 000 ooooooooc owooooooo aoooooo 0000000 WITNESSES INVENTOR- ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 11, 1936. E. L. SMITH ET AL MACHINE FOR TREATING FABRIC Original Filed 0013. 24, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR:

, BY HaroZaZJiBeZcZZer 1 FOR TREATING Elery L. Smith, Melrose, Mass., and Harold H. Belcher, Philadelphia, Pa, assignors to The Philadelphia Drying Machinery Company, Philadelphia, Pa, a corporation of Pennsylv ania Application October as, 1929, Serial No. 402,188 Renewed May 12, 1933 4 Claims. (Cl. 34-48) carbonizing. In this way materials such as burrs,

straw, wood splinters, etc., that have been carried through previous operations with the wool, may be gotten rid of without tedious and costly band burling; also, cottonthreads or the like purposely woven into woolen cloth may be eliminated, so as to leave the cloth with an open texture, or even an open pattern effect.

The acid agents commonly used in the car-.

bonizing process are sulphuric acid and aluminum chloride. Their action on cellulosic materials is very much the same; but the aluminum chloride has less effect on the wool, and is therefore sometimes preferred 'where sulphuric acid might produce un-uniform results. However, aluminum chloride is considerably more expensive, and produces much more corrosion of equipment in the plant where it is used; so that it is a considerable advantage to be able to use sulphuric acid rather than aluminum chloride.

To avoid injury to the cloth, it is important that it be well dried before being subjected to the fairly high carbonizing heat; and this is especially true of cloth containing any silk, since a material amount of moisture in such cloth would cause carbonization of the silk by the heat necessary to carbonize the cellulosic matter. It is also desirable to effect the drying of the cloth in stages of increasing temperature, or at temperatures progressively increasing as the amount of moisture in the cloth decreases, rather than by prolonged exposure at the highest drying temperature; for it is found that as the amount of moisture in the cloth grows less and less, it can stand higher and higher temperatures without injury. Notwithstanding all these precautions, however, carbonizing processes have not heretofore given satisfactory results: on the contrary, the cloth treated is often marred by cloudiness, spots, streaks, or other variations from strict uniformity of color or appearance, and there are apt to be differences in color between its opposite sides or faces.

We have discovered how these disadvantages of prior practice can be obviated, and have provided a new drying and carbonizing outfit or machine for properly treating cloth by the carbonizing process. The success and the essential novelty of our invention will be better understood from our explanation of what is involved in drying and carbonizing cloth, and in. the action of the outfit described hereinafter.

In the ordinary-drying of cloth, where only moisture is present, temporary unevenness in drying has no lasting ill efiect on the goods,--at

least when not extreme or greatly prolonged. In a drying and carbonizing process, however, where the goods initially contain dilute acid, the case 10 is different.

When some portions or facial areas of cloth that contains diluteacid dry faster than others, the dilute acid in the slow places tends to difiuse into the faster drying places, under capillary 3.0- 1

tion, so as to equalize the moisture content. As a result, more of the total water in the cloth is evaporated in the fast-drying portions or areas, and hence more of the concentrated acid is finally left in them: i. e., the concentrated acid is so 2 unevenly distributed in the dry cloth that some places have an excess of this acid, while others have a deficiency. When such cloth is carbonized, deficiency of concentrated acid may cause imperfect or incomplete carbonization of cellulosic material in the corresponding portions or areas.

Moreover, in cloth that has been dyed before drying and carbonizing, the uneven distribution of acid may cause correspondingly varying chemical action on the dyes and on the goods; while in cloth that has not been dyed before drying and carbonizing, the unevenly distributed acid will produce correspondingly varying effects on the wool, or on the grease therein, so that when such goods are subsequently dyed, they will take the dye unevenly, and will hence appear uneven or shaded.

In a word, it is of very great importance to dry the cloth thoroughly and uniformly throughout its entire length and width before it is'subjected to the carbonizing heat or baking.

In our outfit or machine hereinafter described, thesedifiiculties are practically overcome by distribution of the drying medium to act more uniformly on the cloth than heretofore, especially as between its opposite sides or faces, which gives a more uniform distribution of concentrated acid in the cloth and thus equalizes the effects of the acid, particularly in the final stages of drying and carbonizing .heat. This uniformity in the distribution of the concentrated acid also makes it generally feasible to use sulphuric acid in the process, instead of the costlier and more corrosive aluminum chloride. We also aim to provide for maintaining the essential differing temperatures efiectively in different parts of the apparatus. Various other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description of a species of our outfit or machine, and from the drawings.

The invention is illustrated in a convenient form by the drawings accompanying, and forming part of, this specification; although it will be appreciated such drawings are purely illustrative or by way of enabling said invention to be clearly understood.

Fig. I is a side elevation, with parts broken away and in section to better disclose underlying features, of a roller-drying and carbonizing machine embodying the present invention.

Fig. II is-a top plan view of the same; and,

Fig. III is a cross-sectional view, taken as indicated by the lines and arrows III-III on Figs. I and II. i

Referring more in detail-to the drawings, the equipment illustrated comprises an inclosure of appropriate construction which is divided by a main partition 2 to provide a "drying" section comprehensively designated 3, and a carbonizing section similarly characterized as 4. The equipment, or, as hereinafter more suitably termed, machine shown consists of a conventionally constructed inclosure I including side walls 5, end walls 6, a roof of successive peaks 1 over the drying section 3, a fiat roof 8 overthe carpartitions l4,"in turn, medially separate the peaks 1 and compartments ll into what'may be conveniently designated flow-and-retum passages for the treating or drying medium; said partitions l4 extending downwardly from the ridges l5 of the peaks I to within a distance from the floor 9. Each auxiliary partition I 4, in that portion which divides the peak I, is apertured and fitted with a housing l6 for reception of a,

vertically rotative fan l'l; vall of said fans being supported by acommon shaft l8, joumaled in bearings i9 conveniently" mounted in the gutters l2, hereinbefore referred to, along the longitudinal center line of the machine. This shaft I8 is provided with a suitable drivejll, at one end, whereby it is operatively connected with'any convenient source of power such as a motor 2|, mounted on the roof 8 of the carbonizing section I. v A heater umt 22 is positioned preferably, although not essentially, in the sub-division of each compartment II on the delivery side of v the associated fan l1, and conveniently consists of a bank of coils through which steam-for example-is continuously circulated. The several heater units 22 may be independently controlled so that differing temperatures can be maintained in the successive drying compartments ll.

Material M, previously immersed in a saturating tank and subsequently passed through suitable means to remove the excess fluid, is passed over a guide roller "23 at the feeding-in end of the inclosure I, through an entry opening 24,

and trained about an upper series of drivenrollers 25 with an associated lower series of idlers 26, in the successive drying compartments II, as well as correspondingly through the carbonizing section 4. The upper series of driven-rolls 25 are rotated by means of bevel gears 21 from a I in vertical planes between the correspondingly advancing runs of the material M, as will be readily understood by those acquainted with this art.

Fresh air is admitted to the carbonizing section 4 by way of an'inlet 30, in the lower part of the end wall 6 of said section, and provision is made for passing or diverting a variable quantity of air from the carbonizing section 4 into the adjoining compartment ll of the drying section 3. Such air diverting means, conveniently, comprises an adjustable damper 3| located in the upper part of the main partition 2, hereinbefore referred to. Attention is directed to the fact that air entering the carbonizing section 4 is not re-circulated, by providing fans for such purpose, but it is supplied more in the nature of a constant flow, with controllable diversion therefrom. Fresh air, in variable quantity, may also be admitted to the drying section 3, by way of an inlet 32 in one of the side walls 5, under control of an adjustable damper 33, to assist in replenishing the moisture-laden atmosphere exhausting therefrom by way of an outlet 34, in the leading peak I.

Having outlined the structural features of our novel drying-carbonizing machine, the operation thereof may be briefly set forth as follows. Air entering the drying section 3 from the carbonizing section 4 by way of the damper controlled opening 35--Fig. I-is re-heated and re-circulated successively in the several drier compartments I l, flowing from one to the other through the openings I3 connecting the same. 'As shown, the heating means 22 traversed by the air in the circuit of each drier compartment II or pair of passages is substantially out of radiating proximity to the runs of cloth M, so that the moisture is mainly evaporated from the cloth by the circulating heated air, rather than by radiant heat. The drying medium, or heated air, thus travels forwardly and absorbs more and more moisture from the material M, counter-advancing, as indicated by the arrows thereon, until it reaches the first or entering compartment II, where the exhaust outlet 34 is located. The vertic ally rotating fans I! re-circulate the heated air in each of the drying compartments II, which causes said air to pass upward and downward, in a vertical direction, between the passes or runs of the material M, as indicated by the arcuate flow-indicating arrows on Figs. I and III. This re-circulation of the drying medium ensures a much more uniform drying of the material M, throughout its entire length, by alternate action on both faces of said material during progress through the suction and delivery portions of the compartments II, as will be clearly apparent by examination of Fig. I, more particularly. The drying process is also accomplished without any tendency to form creases and wrinkles, which objectionable tendency more or less obtains in analagous outfits where the air currents are usually blown into the material from the sides thereof said air currents thus impinging the edges of the material and flowing transversely thereacross. At this juncture it is well to note that the lower rollers or idlers 2B in the suction portions of the drying compartments II are arranged in staggering or stepped relation from the floor 9 of the inclosure I, upwardly, which arrangement we find most effective in distributing the air currents uniformly across and throughout the passes or runs of the material M, as indicated by the associated arrows. On the other hand, the

idlers 26 in the air delivery portions of the drying compartments II are preferably located in-parallelism in a horizontal plane, and spaced above the heater units 22. Incidentally, the carbonizing 10 section 4 of our improved machine is in efl'ect a continuation of the drying section 8, separated only by the main partition 2 so that a high baking temperature is always maintained.

While we have herein disclosed a desirable form of our invention, it is to be distinctly understood the same is purely exemplary, and that variations in size, shape, proportion, and the relative location of the respective details may be resorted to without departure from the scope of the followin claims.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. An apparatus for the improved carbonization treatment of cloth, after saturation 'accordingto the known process, by drying and baking; said apparatus comprising an enclosure and a partition dividing it 'into carbonizing and drying sec-' tions, with communication between them; rolls in said enclosure for the guidance and passage 0 of the cloth therethrough ina zig-zagseries of eating substantially adjacent the last mentioned wall; intermediate partitions in said drying com- 40 partments, amongst and substantially parallel with the cloth runs, dividing the compartments into adjacent air-flow passages, with intercommunication substantially adjacent the aforesaid opposite drying section walls; rotary blower fans in the drying compartments for circulating and recirculating the air repeatedly through the passages of each drying compartment, in opposite directions between and against the cloth runs in their adjacent passages; and heating means in the path of the air from the cloth runs in one of the adjacent passages to those in the other.

2. An apparatus for the improved 'carbonization treatment of cloth, aftersaturation according to the known process, by drying and baking;

said apparatus comprising an enclosure and a partition dividing it into carbonizing and drying sections, with communication between them substantially at the top of the enclosure; upperand lower rolls in said enclosure for the guidance and passage of the cloth therethrough in a series of up and down runs; heating means for the air in the carbonizing section; upright partitions in the drying section extending from the floor of the enclosure to adjacent certain of said upper rolls and forming a series of drying compartments, intercommunicating substantially at their upper ends; intermediate upright partitions in said drying compartments, extending downward from adjacent certain of the upper rolls between adjacent cloth runs, and dividing the compartments into adjacent up and down air-flowpassages, with intercommunication substantialb at top and bottom of the compartments; rotary blower fans in the drying compartments for cir-- culating and recirculating the air repeatedly through the passages of each drying c'mpartment, downward and upward between and against the cloth runs in said adjacent passages, respectively; and heating means in the path of the air from the cloth runs in one of the passages to those in the other.

3. An apparatus for the improved carbonization treatment of cloth, after saturation according to the known process, by drying and baking; said apparatus comprising an enclosure and a partition dividing it into carbonizing and drying sections, with communication between them substantially at the'top of the enclosure; upper and lower rolls in said enclosure for the guidance and passage of the cloth therethrough in a series of up and down runs; heating means for the air in the carbonizing section; upright partitions in the drying section extending from the floor of I the enclosure to adjacent certain of said upper rolls and forming a series of drying compartments, intercommunicating substantially at their upper ends; intermediate upright partitions in said drying compartments, extending downward from adjacent certain of the upper rolls between adjacent cloth runs, and dividing the compartments into adjacent up and down air-flow passages, with intercommunication substantially attop and bottom of the compartments; rotary blower fans in the drying compartments for circulating and recirculating the air repeatedly through the passages of each drying compartment, downward and upward between and against the cloth runs in their' adjacent passages, respectively; heating means in the path of the air from'the cloth runs in one of the passages to those in the other; and means for ad-- mitting air to (the lower portion of) the drying compartment next the carbonizer, and for venting airfrom the upper portion of the drying com-' partment furthest from the carbonizer.

4. An apparatus for the improved carbonization treatment of cloth, after saturation, by drying and baking; said apparatus comprising enclosed drying and carbonizing sections, the former including a plurality of intercommunicating drying compartments with heating means therein for the drying air, and the latter also including heating means, for baking the dried cloth; means for the guidance and passage of. the moist cloth through the drying compartments in zigzag series of runs, and for the guidance and passage of the dried cloth through the carbonizing section; partitions in said drying compartments. 'amongest and substantially parallel with the cloths runs, dividing each compartment into adjacent air-flow passages, intercommunicating substantially at opposite ends of the compartment; and blowing means at each compartment for circulating and recirculating the air therein repeatedly in a circuit over its heating means and through its passages, blowing substantially in the line of the cloth runs, but'in opposite directions in said passages and against opposite sides of the cloth therein; so that the opposite faces and all portions of the cloth are dried substantially alike in each drying compartment and in this manner fully dried and brought to uniform condition in the drying section, assuring uniform effects on the'cloth in the carbonizing section, and on its coloring from dye. Y

ELERY L. sivn'rn. HAROLD H. BELCHER. 

